Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-08-11
INTRODUCTION.

hlm thus; but Gods Will be done. Who
am to complain? The great wheel of fate
rolls on like a Juggernaut, and brushes us
all in turn, some soon, some late-it does
not matter when; in the end it brushes us
all. We do not PROSTATE ourselves before
its wheel like the poor Indians; we fly
hither and thither-we cry for mercy; but
it is of no use; the blind, black Fate thun-
ders on and reduces us to powder.
Poor Harry, to go SO sooni just when
his life was opening to him. He was doing
well at the hospital, he had passed his last
examination with honOrs; and was proud
of them-much prouder than he was, [
think. And then he must needs go to the
smallpox hospital He wrote to me he
was not afraid of smallpox and wanted to
gain the experience; and now the disease
has killed him. and /, old and gray and
Wlthered, am left to mourn over him,
without chick or child to comfort me. |
might have saved him to- have money
enough for both of US, and much more
than enOugh-King SOlomOn's Mines pro
vided me with that; but | said, No; let the
boy earn his living; let him LABOR that he
may enjoy rest But the rest has come
to him before the labor Oh, my boy, my
boy!
Il am like the man in the Bible who
laid up much goods and builded barns
goods for my boy and barns for him to
store them in; and now his soul has been
required of him, and L am left desolate.
would that it had been my soul and not my
boys!
eve buried him this afternoon, under
the shadow of the gray and ancient tower
of the church of this village where my
house is. 1t was dreary December af-
rI-x |,
snow, but not much was falling. The
coffin was put down by the grave, and a
few big flakes lit upon it, They looked so
white upon the black cloth! There was q
little hitch about getting the coffin into
the grave-the necessary ropes had been
forgotten-so we drew back from it, and
waited in silence, watching the big flakes
fall gently one by one, like heavenly bene
dictiOns, and melt in tears on HarryS pail.
But that was not all. A robin-redbreaSt
came as boldly as could be and lit upon
the coffin and began to sing. And then |
am afraid | broke down, and SO did Sir
Henry Curtis strong man as he is; and as
for Captain Good, l saw him turn away
too; even in my own distress [ could not
help noticing it"
The above, signed "Allan Quartermain, -
is an extract from my diary written two
years and more ago. | copy it down here
because it seems to me that it is the fittest
beginning to the history [ am about to
write, if it please God to spare me to finish
it. If not-well, it does not matter. That
extract was penned seven thousand miles
or SO from the spot where | now lie, pain
fully and slowly, writing this, with pref
ty girl standing by my side tanning the
flies from my august countenance. Harry
&c RI 7 ahnT
cannot help feeling that l an not far
from Harry.
When | was in England I used to live in
very fine house-at least l call it fine
house, speaking comparatively, and judg-
ing from the standard of the houses / have
been accustomed to all my life in Africa
not five hundred yards from the old church
where Harry is asleep, and thither [ went
after the funeral and ate some food; for it
is no good starving, even if one has just
buried all ones earthly hopes. But could
not eat much, and soon | took to walking,
or, rather, imping- being permanently
lame from the bite of a lion-up and down,
up and down the oak-paneled vestibule;
for there is a vestibule in my house in Eng
land. On all the four walls of the vesti-
bule were placed pairs of horns-about a
hundred pairs altogether, every one of
which had shot myself. They are beau
tiful specimens as | never keep any horns
that are not in every way perfect; unless it
may be now aQd again on account of the
associations connected with them. In the
center of the room, however, over the wide
fireplace, there is a clear space left on
which had fixed up all my rifles. Some
of them | have had for forty years, old
muzzle-loaders that nobody would look at
oil mt
with strips of rimpi, or green hide, dashed
round the stocks and locks, such used to
be used by the Dutchmen-a ''roer'' they
called it. That gun, the Boer bought 1t
from, many years ago, told me, had been
used by his father at the battle of the
Blood River, just after Dingaan swept into
Natal and slaughtered six bundled men,
women and children, so that the Beers
named the place where they died ''Wee-
men, or 1.-The place of weeping" and so it
is called to this day, and always will be
called. And many an elephant have L
shot with that old gun. She always took
q handful of black powder and three
ounce ball and kicked like the very deuce.
Well, up and down walked, staring at
the guns, and the horns which the guns
mad brought low; and as / did so there
rose up IN me great craving. l would go
away from this place where I lived idly and
ct ease, back again to the wild land where
l had spent my life, where had met my
dear wife, and poor Harry was born. and
so many things, good, bad and indifferent,
had happened to me. The thirst for the
wilderness was on me; could tolerate this
place no more; would go and die as had
lived, among the wild game and the saw
ages. Yes; as I walked, 1 began to long to
see the moonlight cleaning siNery white
over the wide veldt and mysterious sea of
bush. and watch the long lines of game
travelling down the ridges to the water.
The ruling passion is strong in death they
say, AID my heart was dead that night.
But, independently of my trouble, no man
who has for forty years lived the life Ihave
can with iInpunity go and live by himself